Rainthorpe Hall is a Grade I

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Elizabethan country mansion near

Tasburgh Tasburgh ( ) is a civil parish and a village in the south of Norfolk, England, located approximately 8 miles south of Norwich. It lies on the A140 road, north of Long Stratton and south of Newton Flotman. The River Tas flows nearby and Tasburg ...

in Norfolk, England, about south of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. It is notable for its medieval stonework, wood carvings, rare 17th-century leather wall-coverings and 19th-century Victorian mirrors. The hall's grounds extend to 18.7 acres. There is evidence that the Hall dates back to the 15th century or earlier in some form and that most of the original structure was destroyed by a fire around 1500. In 1579, the lawyer Thomas Baxter purchased the property and set about adding to it and altering it to include two new wings, before selling the property in 1628. The next owner of note was Frederick Walpole, youngest son of

Horatio Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford Horatio Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford, (14 June 1783 – 29 December 1858), styled Lord Walpole between 1809 and 1822, was a British peer and politician. Background He was the eldest son of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford by his wife Sophia C ...

, who purchased the property in 1852; his influence on the house can be seen in the hall chimney, stone windows and stained glass. Colonel Sir Charles Harvey, who later became the 2nd Baronet Harvey of Crown Point,

Trowse Trowse (pronounced by those from Norwich and by elderly residents of the village), also called Trowse with Newton, is a village in South Norfolk which lies about south-east of Norwich city centre on the banks of the River Yare. It covers an ...

, Norfolk, bought Rainthorpe Hall in 1878, and the following year constructed the stable block and the castellated gardener's cottage which sits to the right of the property. Harvey added the five bay window extension at the front in 1885. After this, Rainthorpe Hall was purchased by the economist J Maurice Hastings, who, according to his good friend,

Maurice Bowra Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra, (; 8 April 1898 – 4 July 1971) was an English classical scholar, literary critic and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the Univers ...

, held "wild parties" at the Hall. The Hall was subsequently inherited by his son, George Hastings, who sold it to the barrister and businessman Alastair Wilson QC in 1990.

References

{{reflist, 30em Grade I listed buildings in Norfolk Country houses in Norfolk Grade I listed houses Elizabethan architecture